Episode 23: Trials
Inside the crystal den was the same as the others they had been in before, blinding them as they entered. Once inside, the light settled, and the team were greeted to the usual theatre setup. The walls currently didn't display any reflections, and were perfectly black. The wind had stopped in here, yet Kayla couldn't help shiver a bit. There was a monster here, and if it was anything like Zude's thing, she didn't want to face it.
Pola soon stopped and held out her paw. "We need to go up together this time."
"Is the paw holding necessary?" Shannon rolled his eyes.
"It's just so we do it in sync. I'm not that pathetic," she spat. He grumbled but obeyed, and the duo stepped up to the stage, leaving the others below.
"By the way… you're gonna tell us why you keep ignoring Shannon, aren't you?" Kayla glanced at May.
"You chose now to inquire about that?" the Pichu replied.
"Well, we're about to do a tough battle. I just wanna make sure you can fight alongside him."
"You've forgotten that I'm not a member of Team Daybreak. I couldn't fight alongside you safely to begin with," May shrugged. "So you needn't worry. I'll be out of your way in this conflict."
"That doesn't really answer the question, but then what do you call the Zude battle?" she raised an eyebrow.
"Eyes open. It seems the performance is starting," May tucked her arms behind her back.
A pillar of light slammed down from above onto Pola and Shannon, engulfing them in a blast of light that exploded across the whole area. The others only had time to twist and shield their eyes, but the light turned out to be harmless. Once it faded, they found themselves in a world familiar to Kayla. They were all on the same smooth, brown, and glossy crystal floor. Surrounding them on all sides were swirls and lightning patterns, all of which animated individually from each other and slowly scrolled around them. It was a world of battle.
Another pillar of light came down, this one much larger, but coated in similar energy to what was on the crystal den: swirls of purple and electrical sparks. Pola and Shannon ran back to the team, while everyone posed for battle.
When the pillar cleared, in its place was a quadruped creature that towered over the whole group. It was smooth, dog-like, or perhaps more fox-like, with rounded paws and a hulking figure. It had two tails, one bushy plume of fur with a longer, thinner tail sticking out of it, adorned with spikes and fish fins at the tip. This monster's defining feature was its heads, however. Three heads belonging to three different Eeveelutions, neck and all, ignoring all the other features of the monster to resemble the Pokémon as normally as possible. The centre head was a Flareon, the left head was a Vaporeon, while the right head was a Jolteon.
"Who dares challenge me, the mighty?" the Jolteon began, his voice loud, young, and enthusiastic.
"Them. It is they who dare tread before us," Vaporeon answered, her voice calm and serene.
"Interesting. It is a team who comes before us," Flareon remarked, looking down at them all. His voice was mature, but had similar enthusiasm to Jolteon.
Kayla gulped. "Of course they each have their own personality."
"Oooh. I wonder how you guys eat?" Kari cocked her head.
"Hmpf. Normally it is only one who dares to challenge the realms of the crystal," Flareon remarked. "One who steps upon the stage has his or her heart laid upon a plate, and from that platter, a being of their desires is served. Should one conquer themselves as a beast, their innermost dreams manifest as power, power only Visionaries can conjure."
"For two Visionary Pokémon to step upon the stage at once is unheard of. Perhaps it is that chaos of mixing hearts that has called upon us," Vaporeon commented.
"Best part is, only two of us are Visionaries. The rest of us are just here to help out," Kayla grinned.
"So it would seem. It is still an unheard twist to the laws of our trials," Flareon replied. He snorted flames from his nose, and then loomed over the team. "And yet, I sense an absurd, disturbing level of greed from each of you as individuals. You seek this power merely to gain, for the self-centred appeal of curiosity, to grow stronger for your own pleasures!"
"Well duh. Crystals give these two moves. They get stronger, I get to see more of what they're about. It's a win-win for us all," Kayla smirked even wider.
"Dunno what you mean with all the fancy talk, but yeah I gotta admit, I'm in it to see what happens!" Kari chirped up. "Pola's moves are amazing! I wanna see what she can do."
Vaporeon shook her head. "You do not think of these aims with any concern? Merely growing stronger for power's sake, seeking growth when growth is not needed… but that is what attracts Visionaries to begin with. Like Eve to the forbidden fruit, and yet, unashamed of your sin."
"Are you gonna keep talking? 'Cos I'm pretty sure you're just here to get beat and gimme a new power. None of this judging us rubbish," Pola put her paws on her hips. "We ain't got all day!"
"… You know, we have got to re-evaluate why we provoke our enemies," Shannon glanced at the others.
"You confront the mighty Cerbereon, ruler of elements and stalker of the gates of Hell!" Jolteon boomed. "Normally it is the souls of the dead that we consume to keep them in the underworld. Our little spat tells me you are all on your fast track there. Let us be your guide to the afterlife!"
The world around them rumbled and shook, though it wasn't the ground, it was the group's eyesight, and the scenery blurred with it. The patterns and the lightning grew more violent. Faster. More erratic. Everything began to blur, and the rumble of shockwaves filled the air. Cerbereon's three heads let out monstrous roars unfitting of their voices, and their volume was loud enough that everyone was brought to the floor.
That triggered Kayla's senses however, and her focus went on this mighty foe. Its stance and the way its heads separated, those were the only two things Kayla could click right now. That was besides her team spreading out to ready their own attacks. This wasn't like Zude's monster – she knew she had backup this time, and that put an eager smile on her face.
"Alright. Let's have some fun!" she said, sprinting straight ahead.
"Kayla, be careful!" Kari cried.
"Careful? Where's the fun in that?" Kayla twisted to run backwards.
With her back to the beast, the three heads charged up elemental attacks from their mouths, and fired straight at the Buneary without hesitation. The sound of flames blaring was all the information Kayla needed, same as her usual routine. Without even looking at the Flareon head, she jumped and spun aside his stream of flames. Jolteon's electric beam came next, which Kayla flipped up high over. Last was Vaporeon's water, which she quickly shot Ice Beam at. The water beam froze, giving Kayla a long sheet to slide down straight towards the monster.
Instead of bashing into them however, she bounced off Vaporeon's head, and again off the monster's back, irritating it. She posed behind it, and then blew raspberries as it twisted to face her. "Hey c'mon c'mon!"
"Insolent child!" Flareon hissed, and the creature thrust a clawed foot to stomp her. Kayla yelped but dodged it with ease, and then the following stomp, and backflipped away as another electric beam came at her.
"You're too slow!" she sung, sticking her tongue out. The three heads roared at her again, and she snickered.
Right as Cerbereon was about to leap at her, electricity surged over it, causing all three heads to cough and grunt. Shannon's Thunder Wave made yellow volts crackle all over it, and its movements became jittery. With it stunned in place, Kayla cocked a grin, and then charged with Quick Attack at last. She bashed into the Jolteon head with enough force that she thought she heard a bone crack, and then flipped to kick it straight up.
What should have been a satisfying crunch instead resulted in an unpleasant sound, like a slurpy, sloshy gurgle of sick. Kayla landed and then shifted back so hard she almost fell on her backside. The Jolteon's head had been kicked right off, leaving nothing but a neck and a few exposed veins dangling.
"Wa-wait… I didn't mean to—" she gasped, having to turn away from the sight. The rest of the team had stopped their attacks as well, all jaw-dropped.
Another gurgling sound came, this one muffled by Cerbereon's skin. The exposed neck bulged and pulsated, and in an instant, gross spray of thick fluid, another head sprouted, this one a Glaceon. The fluid that remained around where the head had come off quickly dried into more skin, changing the colour from yellow to Glaceon's icy blue coat.
"Oh gods, what the heck was that?" Shannon gasped.
The new addition gave a chilling screech as it raised its head to gather ice energy, and then beamed that down at Kayla, who blinked herself back into action at the last minute. She hopped backwards, left shivering as the icy blast hit the ground and exploded into chilly wind all around her. She posed for battle and glared intently. Cerbereon had adapted to its new head without hassle.
"Maybe we gotta knock 'em all off," Pola swiped an arm aside, and then held it by her mouth as she began to recite.
Kari finally darted off, growing her claws into Fury Swipes. She leapt up and latched to the creature's back, digging her claws in. "Haha! Gotcha- whoa!"
"Kari!" Kayla was surprised. None of Cerbereon's heads turned around at her, the monster just shook itself violently to try and fling the Furret off. To Kayla's surprise, the whole time they did this, the heads also charged their beams, keeping her on her toes. They had no trouble firing either, so she was back to hopping around to dodge.
"Nnng, gotcha!" Kari growled, managing to crawl up to the Flareon's head. With both paws raised high and claws elongated, she slashed in a cross with all her might. Flareon yelped, but just like with Kayla, the head came right off, vanishing into particles before it hit the ground. "Eek! They're weaker than I thought!"
"Won't stop this time. Arise, O violent waters through the forces of nature, to rout mine enemies! Surf!" Pola thrust her paw sky high. Lights flashed from her, and out came a wide wave of water with tremendous force. Vaporeon grunted as it took the attack, while the Glaceon head was ripped from the body, once again disintegrating before it hit the ground.
"They're not as tough as they look," Shannon commented. "Eyes open, more's coming!"
Two more heads sprouted from the necks, an Umbreon and an Espeon. These two didn't even roar, they got right into the battle. The red jewel on Espeon's head gleamed briefly, trapping Kayla in a psychic hold that lifted her up high.
"Ack- it's always psychic!" she growled as she twitched and strained to try and get out. She was raised up to Vaporeon's height, where the monster filled its mouth with water.
"Kayla, no!" Kari cried, still on the Cerbereon's back. She stretched and lurched over to Vaporeon's neck and pulled as hard as she could just as a stream of water jetted out. Kayla was struck in the face directly, sent flipping towards the floor.
There was that strike of reality she didn't want to feel. That one attack, it was probably Hydro Pump, that one Hydro Pump didn't even hit her body fully and yet it was enough to make her black out for a moment. A punch to the face that left her sniffling and sore, almost like her skull had been left fragile. Her head throbbed hard, while it took a few moments for all sounds to come back to her. Everything was muffled until she could brace the pain, where she hissed and sat up.
"Are you alright?" Kari cried, right up in her face. She shook herself and immediately regretted it. Something in her head was probably bleeding or something.
"Ye-yeah. That could've gone a lot worse," she gasped. Kari pulled her up, so she glared at Cerbereon. Pola had to dance about to avoid more beams, while Shannon used Protect against a one aimed at him. "Ah, don't worry about me, get back in there!"
"You got it! Shannon, tag out!" Kari called as she sprinted back in.
What did I just do? Kayla gasped. Her instant regret was unfounded as Kari darted beneath the monster's legs, avoiding every beam and stomp that came their way. Once behind the monster again, she clawed her way up its back, ready to strike the head of her choosing. No, she's Kari, she'll be fine…
"Blessed divine waters, I beseech you… Life Dew!" Shannon called out, releasing his magic. Kayla gasped again, calmly this time, as warmth coursed through her from his magical water. Just like that her head stopped throbbing, and the soreness mostly subsided. She had no idea how she looked, but she could definitely keep fighting now. Despite that, her heart still raced, and she hesitated to charge back in. That was until Shannon popped up beside her, making her flinch. "You okay?"
She glanced at him, and then the ferocity of the battle going on. Pola had no chance of casting another move safely, even with Kari on its back yanking Cerbereon around like a wild Rapidash. "Yeah. We've got two more heads to cycle through. Let's do this, no mercy!"
True to her claim, she charged her feet with Quick Attack and bolted back into the action. Her ears went right back to work too, and she could tell the beams were aimed at her. Psybeam came straight forward, so she swerved left. Hydro Pump came after, so she flipped right. When she landed, she sprung forward with all her might, striking the Vaporeon head from directly underneath. She burst right through, knocking the head off.
At the same time, Kari was hard at work on the monster's back again, but things were no different. She fought fiercely against its attempts to shake her off, and then slashed at the Espeon with all her might. It took multiple hits this time, but she eventually slashed head right off. Moments later, Sylveon and Leafeon heads popped out, knocking her off the beast's back at last.
"Pola, now! While it's recovering!" Kayla shouted.
"Got 'em right where I want 'em. Burn, Hidden Power Fire!" Pola thrust her paw forward this time, sending fireballs everywhere. Sylveon braced itself while Umbreon seemed to be taken by surprise, and got hit by multiple. Leafeon let out a cry as it caught fire instantly. Neither stood a chance, and the two heads were blown off like the others, vanishing before they hit the floor.
That's all the Eeveelutions. We're at the home stretch, Kayla sighed to herself. However, that nasty slurping sound returned, along with the pulsating necks. Her sigh turned into a gasp as Flareon and Jolteon heads returned, complete with the same voices as prior. "What? We just cycled back round?"
"Hey what gives? We already beat you two!" Kari whined.
Kayla slowly shook her head as her breaths became panicked. She shuffled back as her eyesight blurred, though Cerbereon remained in focus. What the heck am I supposed to do?
"This guy just keeps growing heads. We'll be here forever if we don't figure out how to stop 'em," Pola growled. The three heads charged their attacks; Moonblast, Flamethrower, and Thunderbolt all fired in tandem. Pola and Kari gasped and dove away from each, while Kayla could only blink back into focus at the last minute, and barely hopped back.
"Kayla!" Kari screamed.
She wasn't hit directly, yet the explosion was enough to knock her to the floor. It was the Moonblast, which engulfed her vision in a bright flash of light and glitter. Her front burnt like it was on fire, and she briefly blacked out again. The others were around her, yet everything remained blurred and unfocused besides Cerbereon.
I'm so powerful… I can do that high-speed Quick Attack, I can dream whatever I want, yet still I'm stuck. What even is this thing? Why does a monster like this exist, and why do I have to fight it? I don't want to fight it… I don't know what to do, and the attacks hurt so much... why, why?
Things weren't supposed to go this way…
Everything flashed, and time slowed to a crawl. Things weren't supposed to go this way… what do I mean? Why did I…
"Kayla!" May's voice made her heart jump, and took her back to reality. The Pichu held her closely from behind, with her hands wrapped around her waist. She had forgotten May was here, but something about her commandeering shout and soft touch was engaging. Her breathing settled, and she focused on Cerbereon again. More attacks were being charged.
"May," Kayla whispered without taking her eyes off the monster. "Hold on tight!"
This time the attacks were fired at the same time, but that made it easier for her to bolt away to the side. She skidded to a stop in front of Kari while Pola and Shannon rushed over to them.
"You okay? You look like you were gonna panic again," Pola commented.
"I…" was all Kayla could reply with. Her voice was still weak.
"This beast won't be able to regenerate without a brain somewhere in its body. We simply need to destroy all three heads at the same time," May instructed as she got off Kayla's back. "Kayla, aim for the Sylveon. That's most resilient to special attacks, so Pola won't stand a chance."
"It did resist Hidden Power. So that makes Flareon my thing for Surf, right?" Pola glanced at her.
"Mister yellow is mine then?" Kari grinned eagerly.
"It won't get fully paralysed by Thunder Wave, so you're the only one who could catch it," May reasoned. "Understood? Then battle routine, set!"
"Execute!" Kayla shifted a foot back. This is it. If this doesn't work, then I dunno what will!
One last charge in, this time with Quick Attack on her feet from the get go. Flamethrower came straight at her, so she shifted left, grimacing at the embers that singed her as the blast hit the ground. She leapt forward the instant electricity was fired, avoiding it completely. By now she was underneath the beast, and skidded a stop once she was at its tail. "C'mon big guy! After all this, you're still lettin' me run circles around ya?"
Just like before, Cerbereon turned its attention to her entirely. The moment it did so, Kayla glanced aside it, spotting Pola begin to recite her move. Shannon's cheeks crackled with sparks, while Kari was on all fours, tail raised and ready to pounce.
Just a little more, Kayla told herself, dancing on her toes. More beams came her way, this time topped off with a Dazzling Gleam attack – multiple pink rays of energy scattered around the world around her, requiring her utmost effort to avoid. Beams to her left, a swerve to the right to dodge more, followed by a flip backwards as a few beams blew up in front of her. Smoke surrounded her on all sides, but the beams stopped. She couldn't see through it, but she heard electricity crackling, and continued to bounce to keep herself nimble. Instead of Jolteon's beam of thunder however, it was a sizzling sound, followed by the irritated growl from Cerbereon. "Girls, NOW!"
"Surf!" Pola screamed at the top of her voice. Kayla and Kari both sprung for the beast at the same time, looking as though they crossed paths as they both hit their designated targets. Kari slashed Jolteon's head right off, while Kayla kicked through Sylveon's head, and the duo passed by each other in midair perfectly. Pola's water came not a moment later, striking so hard the beast was brought to the floor.
A vicious, howling roar shook the world as Cerbereon began to stomp and stumble around, all the while energy crackled all over its form. Eventually it slowed, where the energy began to make it disintegrate, and the roaring stopped. Before it faded completely, it fell limp, and then suddenly exploded into blinding light that engulfed the group and everything around.
When the light faded, the world of battle was gone, and the group had been returned to the top of the cliff where the crystal den was. Kayla shook her head in disbelief, and quickly spun around to see the den fading into thin air. The crystals vanished alongside it via quick streaks of light. Just a minute later and they were alone at the top of this windy area, where not a trace of crystal or Cerbereon remained. There were a few tents and strung together apparatus though, as if one of the homeless Pokémon had made a habitat here. Kayla could only gawk at the others, who were just as surprised and confused.
"Cheapskate!" Pola spat. "Argh, after all that effort! Seriously? Nothing?"
"Aww, oh well. Ya win some, ya lose some!" Kari wagged her tail in glee. "We got rid of the crystals, so we helped the Pokémon. We still got something outta it."
"Unlike you, some of us like getting paid," Pola groaned. "If it ain't money, it's gotta be something useful."
"Hmm… Am I to understand that something else should have happened there?" May rubbed her chin.
"I guess this is what you meant by not getting revelations… Not that I fancy getting almost killed by a thing like that," Shannon said.
"The monster did seem surprised that you both stepped up together. Do you think that had something to do with it, too? As in, you couldn't be granted a move because it was reacting to both of you instead of just one?" Kayla wondered.
"Gods, I hope not. Otherwise I'm gonna have to be selfish and take some crystals for myself," Pola started twirling her weave. "Whatever. What now?"
"Right… uh, I guess we let 'em know we're done, and then find a place to warp back," Kayla said.
"Woo hoo! I can't wait to get back, I'm starving!" Kari threw an air punch.
"Already? This is why we shoulda kept the gummis," Pola sighed, walking ahead with them. Kayla let them go ahead, and snuck a glance at May who was still deep in thought.
"Hey uh, thanks. For the strat back there," Kayla said.
"You needn't thank me. In all of my years, I have never once come across a beast like that. I'm safe to assume it isn't a real Pokémon?" May replied.
"Not as far as I know. The monsters in those caverns clearly don't follow the rules of our world," Kayla commented. "I just… you stopped me from panicking this time. And your strategy worked perfectly, too. We've dragged you into serious danger twice, yet it's your amazing work that got us out."
"You seem used to that kind of danger, so I imagine you'd have figured a way out even without me," May grinned smugly. "But I knew I was signing up for some kind of otherworldly confrontation. I opted to stay around after we learnt how to enter the Dream World, after all. Uphold your end of the bargain, and it'll be all the payment I need."
She says that while still not telling me what her wish is… Kayla cocked her head. May walked ahead at that point, while the rest of her friends waited for her by Shannon's staple ladder. She's just a Pichu, but she's incredible with technology, calm enough to strategize no matter what's going on, and has those really powerful magnetic powers… I'm way too lucky to have her hanging around.
"C'mon, what's the holdup?" Pola waved her over. Kayla nodded and bounced over, letting Kari carry her on her back to descend.
"Ashe?" Kari said as they returned to the bottom of the cliff. The Jigglypuff was just as surprised to see them. She had Sprite on her head. "And Sprite, too! What'chu doin' here? We were just about to come get you."
"I got May's message to come and meet you here, but then I heard about you all going after the crystal den," Ashe gasped, but then sighed and calmed down. Somehow, Kayla had forgotten how soft and harmless Ashe's voice was, but that was somehow relieving right now. "Those are really dangerous locations… but it looks like you guys have already been through it. I'm so glad you're okay."
"We've been through worse," Kayla bragged. "You don't need to worry about a thing!"
"Don't I? Pola, are you okay?" Ashe's worry picked right back up.
Kayla was about to make another snarky comment, but quickly realised that there was something up after all. Pola and Shannon were both woozy enough to stumble even though they were stood still. The moment Pola groaned and slumped, Kari darted over to catch her, while poor Shannon fell right to the floor, face flat. "G-guys! Hey, keep it together!"
"Pola! Oh no, Pola!" Sprite cried.
"Ugh, shut uuuuup," the Plusle groaned, helping herself up. "I-I'm fine."
"This doesn't look fine to me, young miss," Ashe replied, helping Shannon up. He was breathing through his mouth, and his face had gone bright red. "His head is boiling. This fever's extreme."
"Is it just a fever?" Kayla got off Kari's back so that Pola could take her place.
"Hey, cut that out, ugh," Pola objected to no avail. She was just as flushed, and visibly sweating hard, too. "Don't… treat me like… ugh."
"That came out of nowhere fast. Just feels like my body's on fire," Shannon huffed. "I-I-I'll be fine, I promise. I just... maybe if we can sit down for a minute?"
"Artillery did want to see us after. Can you walk? We'll get you some water there," Kayla suggested.
…
"… They're asleep," Kayla said blankly. The two feverish chus had knocked right out the moment they were given mats to rest on and a gulp of water, even though they were in the foreign discomfort of Artillery's tent. The Swadloon had helped them out, and was back to his corner away from the group. He intently wiped a knife with a cloth.
"I don't recall either of them taking any particularly unusual attacks, and I doubt they've contracted anything from the slums," May shrugged. "So this is likely the response they wanted from the crystal."
"Last time it was just like, a daydream though. Then they brag about getting a new move," Kari replied.
"Will you be here for a while?" Artillery spoke up. The others turned to him unsurely, but he ignored it, still wiping that knife of his. "I wanted you to return to offer you reward."
"You don't have to, it's fine, seriously! You're doing a ton for us right now," Kayla assured.
Artillery shook his head to signal a no. "Consider it an interest…. You have probably guessed, but I handle in weapons and armour crafting. I have an eye for it, and a passion."
"If we needed weapons and tools, a homeless Pokémon is the last stop," May replied.
Yeesh. She just outright goes and says that? Kayla gawked at her.
"The homeless of the slums are here not by choice, and so follow a code. All of them refer to each other by species. Unlike the other homeless in these slums, I am here of my own interest. That is why I have a name. I had a most interesting teacher, and defected from Netherworld. That is why I don't show my face in public," Artillery explained. He had everyone's attention, now. "My story is not why you are here, though. I simply wish to work on mechanics and weapons. Bring me your tools, and I will see how I can improve them. For example, that shirt of yours, I recognise the Emera embedded within."
He realised without even seeing me in action? Kayla cocked a grin. "We actually don't need anything right now, but I'll definitely keep it in mind. Unless you're saying you can make it even better?"
"Actually, there is something," Kari bounced up. She shuffled through her belongings to find her Shovel Claws. "I ain't had these sharpened for a while, and they're getting kinda hard to use. Would that be okay?"
Artillery stared at them. It was impossible to read him with those blank eyes hidden behind his sunglasses, nor that bold tone of his, but after a nervous moment, he smiled. It was if the body behind the leaves lit up. "These were not built for Furret. May I modify them for your species?"
"Would that make 'em easier to use?"
"Infinitely so."
"Then do your thing, meister!"
Artillery stared at the claws with growing intensity. He didn't make a sound, even as he delicately picked them up and turned his back to the team. He shuffled over to his wall of weapons, put them down, and then flashed open his leaves wide.
With eyes aglow with demonic obsession, and voice a roar of growing volume and intensity, he began to modify the claws at a speed faster than the eye could follow. Hammers, sawing, carving, screwing, drilling, even the screech of a cat, and all so fast that sparks and a cloud of smoke burst around him, obscuring all the gritty details. It felt like the entire structure was beginning to quake under the force of his DIY, and the tone of his roar made Cerbereon seem like a meow in comparison.
All of a sudden, he was done. The smoke vanished, and Artillery sighed contently as he wiped his forehead. With an enthusiastic spin, he presented his finished work to the team, his bold glare serving to boost the tool's glow. The Shovel Claws had completely changed. Now they were gloves that looked to fit Kari's paws perfectly, with a shovel-shaped gauntlet blade on top. They boasted long, needle-like nails on the digits now, too.
"Woo hoo! Look at 'em!" Kari cheered, slipping them on. "Oh my gods, they're so comfy. It's like I'm wearing actual normal gloves!"
"But where are the claws? Can you dig with the shovels on top like that?" Kayla cocked her head.
"Try using Slash. I attuned them to that move," Artillery stated. "I can change the move, if you prefer."
Kari looked at her paws curiously, and then erected her nails for Slash. Instantly, the shovels came forward, hanging over the top of her paws at length. Meanwhile, the spikes had responded to the energy claws Kari had, becoming significantly longer and curled, while retaining a brown, Furret-coloured look. When she let up her attack, the nails and the shovel retracted, turning them into ordinary gloves again.
"This is better than ever! Digging with these will be a breeze!" Kari threw her arms up. "Thank you so much! I could kiss you right now!"
"Don't! Simply using them is valid payment," Artillery grunted and leaned away.
"Aww, don't be modest," she sung, cuddling him anyway. He made strange grunts and noises, and Kayla could have sworn she saw him blushing, making her giggle.
"Yeesh… I conk out for a little while, wake up, and Kari's making out with a Swadloon," Pola groaned, sat up and rubbing her head.
"No I'm not!" Kari broke away with a bright red face. "Don't say weird stuff like that!"
Artillery cleared his throat. "The only nice deed that I ask for is that you bring me weapons and work. Hugs are unnecessary."
"Heh, point noted," Kayla smiled. "Are you feeling alright, Pola? That was worrying back there, you know."
"Yeah. Turns out that little fever was our revelation this time," she replied, head in her palm.
"Whoa, so you learnt a new move?" Kari squeaked.
"Yeah. First time it's ever happened to me that way. Same for Shannon, I hope," Pola got up and stretched. The Pachirisu stayed asleep, though. "Don't expect a demonstration. You know how my moves are."
"Ooh, a surprise for next time," Kari giggled.
"Um, should we wake up Shannon?" Ashe asked. "We should really think about getting back to RSE. It's getting late."
"Don't. If we interrupt his revelation, he could fail to learn a move again," Pola warned. There was a pause.
"… He's snoring," Ashe pointed out.
"Lazy cunt," Pola grumbled.
I… forgot how long we can spend in those crystals. If we have to wait too much longer, I might end up dreaming of food again," Kayla giggled at the thought, feeling her stomach rumble. The others better not get mad at that.